Canyon

Canyon is a compact 128x128 beginner-friendly map set in a steep desert valley where a river still flows, providing a safe haven for beaver settlers. The map's tagline captures its essence: "In the desert, beavers always seek valleys where the rivers still flow. Easily dammed, this canyon will become a safe haven for all." Canyon features 4 Water Sources with a total output of 4.0 cubic meters per second and 4 Badwater Sources also totaling 4.0 cubic meters per second. The map contains 2 Underground Ruins, 13,095 units of scrap, 151 bushes, and a healthy mix of trees including 184 mature birch, 707 mature pine, and 263 mature oak.

The canyon terrain creates natural chokepoints that make damming exceptionally efficient. The narrow valley walls funnel water through tight passages where even a small dam can create a deep reservoir, making Canyon one of the easiest maps for water management. New players will find that a single well-placed dam near the canyon narrows can store enough water to survive early Droughts with minimal effort. The steep valley walls also provide natural protection against Badwater spread, as contaminated flows tend to follow the same narrow channels as clean water, making diversion relatively straightforward with a few strategically placed levees.

The equal ratio of Water Sources to Badwater Sources (4 each at matching flow rates) means that contamination management is a more prominent concern on Canyon than on Plains. Players need to separate clean and contaminated waterways early in their settlement development. The compact 128x128 size keeps everything within easy reach, reducing travel times for beavers and simplifying logistics. Both factions work well on Canyon, though the limited flat building space in the valley bottom encourages vertical construction and efficient space utilization. Canyon teaches players the fundamentals of strategic dam placement and water flow control in a forgiving, contained environment.